This invention relates generally to the field of automotive wheel finishing, and more particularly to a machine, process and fixture for surfacing, deburring, radiusing, descaling, polishing, abrading, or otherwise preparing automotive wheels for the application of many types of coating, plating, painting, and also to create a variety of final polishes or xe2x80x9cfinishesxe2x80x9d for automotive wheels.
Machines for finishing small work pieces in a rotational barrel configuration are well known; however, a machine with the necessary fixturing and process for finishing automotive wheels through accelerated positive gravity induced burnishing is completely unknown in the automotive wheel manufacturing and finishing industries. In fact, manufacturers of automotive wheels currently use no type of a rotational barrel configuration technology to achieve the necessary pre-finishing preparation or to apply a variety of final xe2x80x9cfinishesxe2x80x9d to automotive wheels. Finishing of large work pieces such as wheels requires a machine and fixturing system for holding the wheels to permit the wheels to receive high energy impacts from slurry mixtures without damaging the surface of the wheel in undesirable ways. Further, there does not exist a means for reducing the heat and pressure buildup in high energy machines running at high rotational speeds and generating large G forces.
Finishing small work pieces in a rotational barrel configuration is accomplished by use of slurry mixtures to create forces against the work pierces to grind down imperfections by utilizing gravitational forces to impart the force to the work piece in a desired fashion. Typically, the work pieces are placed loosely in a barrel and allowed to impact each other as well as the slurry mixture. Prior machines and methods for finishing small work pieces used hexagonal barrels mounted within a turret. The barrels typically moved in a counterclockwise fashion from the turret in such a way as to maintain a fixed position of the barrel with respect the horizon. This approach permitted the maximum impacting of the slurry mixture on the work pieces by agitating the system as the barrels rotated.
The deficiency of the prior technology is that there has existed no means or method for securing large work pieces such as automotive wheels in the proper position in a rotational barrel configuration machine to achieve an effective result. Further, no large barrels existed to hold automotive wheels and perform at high rotational speeds to achieve the desired results. Consequently, no machines utilizing a rotational barrel configuration have ever been developed with barrels of sufficient size to contain automotive wheels due, in part, to the lack of mechanisms for fixturing the wheels properly. Another problem solved by the instant invention when utilizing the large barrel sizes required to hold automotive wheels is a means for reducing the extreme heat and consequent pressure build-up inside the barrel which would result in unavoidable leakage detrimental to the process. Such means are integrated into the barrels and permit the entry of coolants to the system during rotation.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a viable method for machine pre-finishing and final finishing of automotive wheels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for high force pre-finishing and finishing of automotive wheels.
Another object of the invention is to allow automotive wheels going through the pre-finishing or final finishing process to become more controlled, thus making the automotive wheel more concentric.
Another object of the invention is to allow automotive wheels going through the pre-finishing or final finishing process to be prepared or finished throughout. The front, the back, the top, the bottom, the sides, inside crevasses, inside holes are radiused and polished creating a pre-finish or finish and otherwise eliminating sharp edges everywhere.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for reduced time in pre-finishing or finishing automotive wheels.
Another object of the invention is to provide fixturing methods for automotive wheels which make utilization of the invention and related technology possible.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method to introduce a circulating coolant into the barrel while in motion to alleviate the extreme heat and consequent pressure build-up inside the barrel which would necessarily result from the G forces and friction generated to pre-finish or finish an object the size of an automotive wheel.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a machine for finishing automotive wheels having a rotatable turret, a plurality of containers mounted on shafts capable of receiving media that are journaled on the turret and capable of selective rotation independent of the turret, and fixtures in said containers that stably hold automotive wheels in the containers for selective reception of the media.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a process for finishing automotive wheels comprising the steps of placing automotive wheels within a rotatable container, inserting slurry media to fill a portion of said container, rotating the container at approximately 75 to 500 revolutions per minute for a duration wherein the wheels are abraded to a relatively shiny appearance.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.